The silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera ) is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia and eastern and southern China, with an introduced population on Victoria Island in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Neuquén, Argentina. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs (the latter separating it from the greyish-legged kalij pheasant). It is common in aviculture, and overall also remains common in the wild, but some of its subspecies (notably L. n. whiteheadi from Hainan, L. n. engelbachi from southern Laos, and L. n. annamensis from southern Vietnam) are rare and threatened.
The Silver pheasant is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains of Southeast Asia, with introduced populations in Hawaii and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white in color, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs. The silver pheasant is common in aviculture, and overall also remains common in the wild, however, some of its subspecies are rare and threatened.
Silver pheasants are found on mainland Southeast Asia, and in eastern and southern China. They prefer forest edges with open areas and rarely occur in dense forests.
Silver pheasants are gregarious ground-dwelling birds that are usually seen in small flocks. Silver pheasants are active during the day and prefer to forage in the morning and in the evening. They spend most of their life on the ground and will fly only to escape danger. These birds communicate with the help of loud whistles, high-pitched chirping and during the courtship display, males produce cackles and grunts.
Silver pheasants are herbivores (granivores, frugivores). They feed mainly on seeds and fruits and may also take invertebrates according to the season.
Silver pheasants are polygynous which means that during the breeding season one male mates with several females. These birds breed from late February until May and during this time males perform courtship displays to attract females. Silver pheasants often breed in small groups and nest on the ground. Females lay 6-9 eggs and chicks usually hatch during the wet season. The young are precocial; they are born fully developed and follow their parents to the feeding areas soon after hatching. The young grow fast and at two years of age they are ready to breed.
Silver pheasants are fairly common, however, some populations are rare due to degradation and the loss of habitat.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the total population size of the Silver pheasant. According to the IUCN Red List, the population size in China consists of 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
